What is Left at the End?
by elsiecarson
Summary: The war is quickly coming to an end and Klink knows it. He's been through defeat before and he's wondering what the point is. This time, in particular, he's wondering what will left of Germany at the end and whether he really wants to stay in the country or not. He vents to Colonel Hogan.
1. The End is Coming

Colonel Klink looks at the map of Germany on his wall and sighs. For the second time in his life his country is about to be defeated in war. During the Great War the defeat didn't hurt so much because everyone just wanted to end the war. This war was different. Germany had the technology and they'd done so well early on, conquering so much land, but now Russia in the east and Britain and its allies and the U.S. in the west are pushing into Germany.

Colonel Hogan enters Klink's office is his usual manner and notices Klink is staring off into space. "What's wrong Colonel?"

"Can we talk as just men you and I?" Colonel Klink asks heavily.

"Of course we can talk, Colonel." Colonel Hogan sits across from Klink.

"In a matter of weeks, if I've calculated correctly, the war will be over and Germany will have been defeated again. I find myself confused about what to do next. I'm leaving the military for sure, but I don't know what to do. I don't know that to do about all the information I've been privy to." Klink admits.

"What do you mean?" Hogan asks seriously. There have been rumours going through the Allied ranks about Nazi atrocities, but there has been no proof.

"I have seen and heard things no human being should ever experience. I know what my people have done and it's despicable. Do I tell someone on your side what I know when the end comes?" Klink asks quietly.

"I can always find someone to talk to you if you feel the need to confess after all this is over." Hogan says honestly.

"I don't even know if I want to stay in Germany anymore. Maybe I should change my name and move somewhere else." Klink says sadly.

"Would you take Frau Linkmeyer with you if you decided to move? You're a gentleman, you'd never leave her behind if you thought you could save her." Hogan asks cheekily. He knows Frau Linkmeyer isn't Klink's favourite person, but they did have a certain connection.

"No, I wouldn't leave her here, but I'm unsure if I can persuade her to come with me. Her brother is here and so are her children. It would be a hard sell as you Americans say. I would love to have someone come with me, but I think it would probably be a solo trip, honestly. I don't think Gertrude would be willing to give everything up to come with me." Klink says heavily.

"Frau Linkmeyer loves you, you know. Normally I wouldn't say anything, but it needs to be said. She might consider leaving with you if you do some hard work in the next few weeks. Her children aren't young. Her son could stay here if he wished and her daughter could come with you. You may even be able to persuade her brother to come with you. Don't underestimate yourself." Hogan says seriously. "You should call her."

Klink stands up, walks over to his map of Germany, and tears it off the wall. "Germany as we know it is no more. The end has come again."

"Is this how it felt last time or is this worse?" Hogan asks gently.

"This is infinitely worse. Last time we were all so tired we just wanted to go home. This time it felt as if we had a chance to win this war even though we had no right to start the war." Klink admits.


	2. Calling Frau Linkmeyer

Klink pours himself a glass of Schnapps and drinks it quickly. "I am going to call her."

"Be humble, gentle, and apologetic. The last time the two of you were together it didn't end well, so just go easy and go on instinct. You'll know whether to ask the big question when you're talking to her. Don't bring up moving yet though." Hogan advises.

"Danke for the advice, Hogan. It is needed, though I hate to admit it." Klink flips through his phone book to find Frau Linkmeyer's phone number. "Normally I'd get my secretary to put a call in, but I'll do it myself this time." Klink dials the first few numbers and pauses his finger above the last number. Hogan nods his head to encourage Klink.


	3. Honest Conversation

"Guten tag, I am wishing to speak to Frau Linkmeyer." Klink says politely when someone answers the ringing phone.

"You have found her. Who is this?" Frau Linkmeyer asks quickly. Phone calls make her nervous now since her son is in the army.

"This is Colonel Klink. Now, please don't hang up. I know we didn't part on the best of terms, but I wanted to call and apologize. I made a mistake and it was very wrong for me to treat you the way I did. I apologize most sincerely." Klink gets a thumbs up from Hogan.

"Oh Wilhelm, that is so sweet! Thank you for the apology, but it's not necessary. Maybe we just weren't meant to be together." Gertrude says gently.

"I don't think that's true. I just don't think I handled the situation very well. Why don't you come out for a visit? We can try and work things out between us. I can pick you up at the train station in Hammelburg." Wilhelm suggests.

"That sounds wonderful. I can come the day after tomorrow if you wish. I will go and buy my train ticket and then I will call you and let you know when I will get in to Hammelburg." Gertrude tells Wilhelm.

"That sounds perfect. I'll see you soon." Wilhelm smiles and his words sound happy and relaxed.

"Danke Wilhelm. I'm so glad you rethought our relationship. I'll see you in two days." Gertrude smiles as she thinks about seeing Wilhelm again.


	4. Dating Advice

Wilhelm hangs up the phone and smiles broadly at Colonel Hogan. "You were right about her. She's coming for a visit the day after tomorrow."

"That's good news. You did very well. You took control of the conversation and you clearly said what you wanted. She obviously responded well, so just keep being honest with her, but approach the topic of moving to another country very carefully. You don't want to startle her." Colonel Hogan says seriously.

"Danke for the advice Hogan. I needed someone to push me to do something positive for myself. I'll see you later, Hogan." Klink says happily.


	5. He's Just a Regular Soldier

Hogan shoves his hands into his pockets and walks out of Klink's office whistling as he goes. The end of the war will be happy even for him, but for Klink the end of the war will be terrible. The German soldiers who have been following Hitler's orders will be damaged for the rest of their lives. Klink has had a relatively easy war compared to other officers. The end of the war will be difficult for Germany. Hogan actually thinks Klink has the right idea about getting out of the country.

Klink sits in his office with a smile on his face. His map is in the garbage and he found the photograph of Gertrude that she gave him and it's now sitting on his desk.

Hogan heads back to the barracks. "Klink knows the end is coming. He's already planning his future. The end is in sight."

"Klink must feel terrible. This is the second war Klink's been involved in that Germany's lost. He's just a regular soldier who's been in the middle of two wars that seemed to have no purpose. It must be difficult." Kinch says thoughtfully.

"How do you figure? The Germans have always been the aggressor in both these wars." LeBeau says angrily.

"But most regular soldiers had no control over what they did in the war. They just signed up to serve their country the same way we all did. I think that sometimes in the midst of all this we forget that they're soldiers like us." Kinch reminds his friends.

"You know, Kinch, you're right. Klink and Schultz are just regular guys like us. I wonder what Klink is thinking of doing after the war." Newkirk ponders.

"He told me about one of his ideas. He's definitely leaving the military, but he's considering moving to another country. He knows there's going to be repercussions at the end of all this. He doesn't want to see how bad this could be for his country. He would like to take his mother with him and move somewhere else. Frau Linkmeyer is coming for a visit the day after tomorrow, so I think he'd like her to go with him if decides to move from Germany." Hogan tells his colleagues.

"That's an interesting idea he's come up with. I suppose it makes sense if you saw what happened in Germany after World War I. Where would or could he go and be safe? Unless he goes to Sweden or Switzerland or Japan or somewhere in Asia or South America he won't make it. Someone would kill him." Kinch says seriously.

"Yeah, that's right. He can't move just anywhere. It must be hard to know that you are going to be blamed for something that you had no control over." Carter says thinking carefully. The Germans are going to be paying for this for a long time.

"I hate that regular soldiers, like Klink, who just wanted to fight for their country and never joined the Nazi party are going to be painted with the same brush as Hitler and his band of maniacs. It's unfair. Look at Klink. He would never have come up with a scheme like that and now he's going to pay the price the same as everyone else. He may even have to change his name." Hogan is angry.

"You can't change the world, Colonel." Newkirk reminds his CO.

"I know that Newkirk, but Klink doesn't deserve this." Hogan sighs heavily.


End file.
